Exclusive: Betts-backed World Bowling League to roll out next year
NEW DELHI, June 13 (Reuters) - The first edition of the World Bowling League (WBL), backed by celebrity cricketer Virat Kohli and baseball star Mookie Betts, will roll out with six franchises competing in iconic locations early next year, league chief Adi K. Mishra told Reuters.
The WBL is looking to transform a pastime for millions around the world into a cutting edge, made-for-TV experience via a heady mix of celebrity franchise owners, exotic locations and technological innovation.
"It's an incredible sport which just hasn't been structured correctly for the past 50-60 years and everyone just dismisses it as a recreational activity," Mishra, the founder and CEO of sports tech firm League Sports Co, said in a video call from the United States.
"We are going to launch with six franchises in the first quarter of next year. It's going to be a team of four - two male and two female bowlers."
Mishra did not go into detail about the format but said professional bowlers would compete in the core sport while celebrities would take part in auxiliary events, with teams collecting points throughout the season.
With its origins in ancient Egypt, bowling's heyday in the United States was in the 1960s and 70s when every town and suburb had its own alley.
Even today, some 200 million people put on flat-soled shoes and take to the lanes every year, including 75 million in the U.S., Mishra said.
The WBL is by no means the first attempt to create a professional circuit in the Tenpin game, and American Don 'Mr Bowling' Carter was the first athlete in any sport to ink a $1 million sponsorship deal back in 1964.
What separates the WBL from previous attempts, Mishra says, is its global reach - the league is in the advanced stage of finalising franchises in Japan, South Korea, Singapore and India - and the ambitious vision.
"Our first fundamental premise was - how can we take this and make this an aspirational product?" Mishra added.
"We want to take two lanes and put them in iconic locations around the world - Hudson Yards in New York, Marina Bay Sands in Singapore, a variety of different locations in Dubai and India."
Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Betts bought the first announced franchise in May and the WBL pulled off another marketing coup when Kohli came on board as a strategic investor last month.
Mishra did not provide financial details of Bett's purchase but said negotiations on the sale of the remaining franchises were in the final stages.
The league plans to simplify scoring, gather a host of celebrity and corporate backers, and use ball-tracking and other technology to create a product that works on television and digital platforms.
Weaving complimentary programming featuring celebrity bowlers like Betts and Kohli around the core sport would make it an irresistible proposition for broadcasters, said Mishra.
"We already have many broadcasters lined up and a lot of them think this sport, the way we've designed it, can fit into their ultra-premium segment.
"A lot of them believe they can bring in other influencers and celebrities, who come in and bowl as well. So there's a lot of 'shoulder programming' that you can create with the sport, which is not possible with a lot of other sports."
Mishra and Kohli know each other through their joint ownership of a team in the E1 electric powerboat world championship, and the cricketer's fondness for bowling came as a pleasant surprise as the WBL was being in the planning stage.
"Over the years, I've met a lot of celebs who happen to be closet bowlers," Mishra said.
"We were speaking about various things about the team and it turned out that he has been bowling and watching it since he was 11-12.
"That was a big surprise for me and we wanted him to be part of this. Hopefully we'll get him to bowl when he has more time for it."
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